Disk-spinning toy



March 27, 1934.

H. w. GRAVES 1,952,547

DISK SPINNING TOY Filed April 28, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheel: l

March 27, 1934. H w AQ 1,952,547

DISK SPINNING TOY Filed April 28, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 In van for.

Patented Mar. 27, 1934 DISK-SPINNING TOY Henry W. Graves, Chicago, Ill.

Application April 28, 1933, Serial No. 668,401

14 Claims.

My invention relates to a toy of the class in which a movable member is threaded on an upright screw-shank, so that this member will rotate when moved upward along the said shank,

and so that the acquired momentum will continue the rotation after the said member has been moved upwardly along the screw-shank for a sufficient extent to accumulate this momentum.

In the so-called helicopter toys operating on this principle, the movable member consists of radial blades connected to a hub through which the screw-shank initially extends, these blades being shaped after the manner of propeller blades or fan blades so that the rotational momentum of the said member will continue to lift this member after it leaves the said shank, thereby projecting the said member high into the air.

My present invention is based in part on the same principle of utilizing the rotational momentum of the rotatable member after it passes off the screw-shank, but aims to provide a toy in which the rotatable member will readily seat and pivot upon the upper end of the screw-shank so as to be rotated or spun in a fixed plane for a long period of time while thus supported by the screw-shank.

In general, my invention is based on the following discoveries and experimental observations: 7

(1) If the movable member is of the general nature of a disk which is imperforate except for the slot through which the screw-shank is threaded, the continued rotation of the said member has no lifting effect after this member passes 01f the said shank.

(2) If the upper end of the screw-shank is pointed and the manually imparted rotation of the disk is only sufficient for projecting the disk slightly above the upper end of the screw shank,

upper shank end; and, since the weight of the disk is then supported by the shank, the momentum of the disk can then continue to rotate the disk for a longperiod of time.

(3) If the disk is provided on its lower face with an indentation adapted to be entered by the point of the shank tip, and if this indentation is near the slot in the disk, the shank point can readily enter such an indentation so that the disk will not slide laterally on the shank tip even if the screw shank is not carefully held in an upright position.

(4) When the screw-shank was formed by twisting a metal strip which has a V-shaped end 55 affording the pointed tip, the needed depression the disk will quickly drop by gravity on the said need only have the thickness of the strip as the diameter of the depression; and the depression can be anywhere within considerable radius from the center of the slot.

(5) If such a shank-tip-receiving indentation is relatively close to the center of the disk, the length of time for which it will rotate with a given acquired momentum is increased, because the disk is then more nearly balanced dynamically.

(6) If the slot in the disk has its center offset transversely of the slot from the center of the disk, the indentation in the disk can be located substantially at that center, so as to increase the spinning period of the disk to a maximum.

('7) If the disk also has a downwardly open groove leading to such an identation, the pointed tip of the screw-shank will catch in this groove and can slide along the groove into this indentation, so as to facilitate the proper socketing of the disk on the said tip, and all the more so if the groove increases in depth toward the indentation. V

(8) Since the screw-shank must fit the slot loosely to avoid undue friction, the disk usually is not exactly coaxial with the slot while moving upwardly, and also is free to tilt somewhat more while sliding ofi the tip of the shank; and in addition, the user generally will not hold the shank exactly upright while manipulating the toy. Consequently, there is only a small chance in the ordinary manipulation of such a toy of having the tip of the shank enter the slot when the disk drops back upon this tip.

(9) If the indentation is adjacent to a longer side of the slot in the disk, a portion of the disk adjacent to the opposite side of the slot can be deformed so as to push the tapering point of the screw-shank positively toward the indentation, thereby further facilitating the entry of the shank into this indentation and enabling even a rather young child to manipulate the toy effectively. V

(10) This positive catching the shank tip in the indentation is enhanced if the indentation and the said deformation are approximately on the shorter axis of the slot, and at opposite sides of the slot.

Illustrative of the development of my toy from an elemental type to types which greatly reduce the skill required for operating it and which likewise increase the length of time for which the rotatable member of the toy will spin,

Fig. 1 is an elevation of an elementary embodiment of my invention in which the movable memher of my toy is a disk having a central slot and a downwardly open indentation adjacent to each longer side of the slot, with the disk-lifting sleeve in partial section, showing the disk (in central section) when it has been projected slightly eccentric of the axis of the twisted shank, and with dotted lines showing the disk as seated on the said sleeve before the latter is forcibly slid upwardly.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged and fragmentary bottom view of the disk.

Fig: 3 is an enlarged and fragmentary View, allied to the upper portion of Fig. l, but with the disk rotated to a position at right angles to that of Fig. 1, taken while the disk is being projected (eccentrically of the twisted shank) oif the tip of this shank, and with a dotted lineshowing the trajectory through which the center of the disk thereafter moves.

Fig. 4 is a view showing the disk as it appears when pivoted on theshank tip after the center of the disk has 'moved-"along the said trajectory path.

Fig. 5 is a viewof the upper portion oi'the twisted'shankanda (sectioned) central portion of the-disk, takenwhen the-disk has dropped upon the shank tip with so little eccentricity that the tip has entered the slot, showing thecam action whereby the continued rotation of the disk may slide the disk upon the tip to cause the latter toenter one of the indentations in the disk.

Figpfiis 'a'central and verti al section of a pan-shaped disk'member in which the indentations face in the same direction in which the *pansides extend, so-asto lower the center of Y gravity ofthe pan while rotating ona shank tip.

*Fig. 7' is a section'similar to Fig. 6, but showing 'the'indentations on the oppositeface of the pan bottom.

-Figr8 is an enlarged bottom view of a central "portion'ora disk member, showing a plurality of indentations disposed within an operative radius from the center of the slot.

Fig; 9" is asi-milarly-enlarged perspective view pi a-central portion of adisk, showing two perforations serving the same purpose -as the indento -aiford'pivoting formations for receiv-ingthe point of the twisted shank.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged bottom viewof a central portion of a disk member, showing: the: slot as-oifset transversely of its length from the centerof thedisk, and'showing three advantageously disposed indentations.

Fig. 12 is an enlarged fragmentary bottom view of a disk, showing the slot offset asin Fig.

-11, and showing an indentation to which a shank-tip-guiding groove leads.

Fig. 13 is an enlarged fragmentary bottom view of a disk, with the slot offset from the'center of the disk still further than in Figs. 11 and 12,and with a'single pivoting indentation disposed centrally of 'the disk.

Fig.-14 is av-iew similar'to Fig. 13, including also a disk-bottom groove leading to the indenta- 'Fig.-l5 is an enlarged section taken along the line 15-15 oi -Fig. 14,-showing-how thegroove deepens toward the indentation.

Fig. lfi is an enlarged'bottom view of thecentral portion-of a disk-member, showing the slot and the indentation disposed as in Fig. 1'3, and

showing the disk portion at the opposite side of the slot from the indentation as deformed so as to engage the tapering tip of the twisted shank for shifting the disk horizontally while the disk is being raised off this shanlntip.

Fig. 17 is a section taken along the line 17-l7 of Fig. 16, and also showing the tip of the twisted shank as it appears when the lower face or" the disk has just been raised to a higher elevation than this tip.

Fig. 18 is a bottom view allied to Fig 16, but in which the indentation is deeper and wider mounted than in Figs. 16 and 17, and in which the disk portion adjacent to the opposite side of the slot is undeformed.

Fig. 19 is a section taken along the line 19-19 of Fig. 18, and also showing the tip of the twisted shank after this tip is socketed in the indentation,

and Fig. 20 is an enlargement of a portion of Fig. 19.

In the elementary embodiment of Figs. 1 to 5, the rotatable member of my toy comprises a circular disk 1 preferably formed of sheet metal and having its edge portion 2 recurved to add increased weight at the periphery of the disk, so as converging tip edges 6; and the lower end oi the twisted shank socketed in a handle 7 for conveniently holding the shank.

Freely slidable on the shank 5 is a tube i8 which can-rest on the top of the-handle initially and onwhich the disk 1 may likewise seat initially (as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1) so that the -disk-is initially horizontal when the shankis;

held upright. When this tube is slidupwards on the twisted shank, the approximate interfitting of this shank with the walls of theslot causes the disk to rotate, and if the tube is manually raised with respect to the handle-'7) for only a part of the height to which the shank initially projects above the disk, the acquired momentum will continue the upward movement of the disk, so that the user can readily cause the disk to be projected only for a quite short height above the tip of the spiral shank.

If the longer walls of the slot had their faces curved for closely fitting the faces of the twisted shank,- and if these walls corresponded closely in length to the widthoi the metal strip from which the shank'was formed, the centrally slotted disk would-be coaxial with the shank throughout its upward movement and would still remain coaxial after it leaves the tip of the shank, assuming that 'the shank is carefully held in an upright position.

However, when the longer siot walls have par- -allel fiat facesand the slot is of suhiciently greater area than the initial section of the said metal strip to allow for-the twisted formation of the shank and to 'avoid undue friction during the upward movement of the disk by the tube, the disk usually has its axis somewhat displaced from the axis of the :saidshank.

Moreover, as'soon as the disk reaches the taperingtip portion of the shank, the disk can'readily shift still further longitudinally of the shank, as will be evident from the clearance between the sloping tip edges 6 and the end walls 3A of the slot in Fig. 3. Consequently, when the disk rises still further than in Fig. 3 and thereafter descends by gravity, the center 30 of the slot will follow a path such as that shown in dotted lines by the trajectory 9 in Fig. 3, thereby causing the disk to descend upon the point of the twisted shank eccentric of that point, thus permitting this point to enter one of the indentations 4 in the lower face of the disk, so that the disk will thereafter rotate on that point.

In practice, the manipulation can readily be such that the resulting eccentricity in greater than half the width of the slot, so that an indentation adjacent to either of the longer sides of the slot will suflice; particularly when this indentation is substantially conical and has a mouth larger in diameter than the thickness of the metal from which the shank was twisted.

However, even if the disk drops back upon the point of the shank, as shown in Fig. 5, the rotation of the disk may still cause a tapering edge 6 of the shank tip to have a cam action on the longer slot wall engaged by it when this tip is not quite coaxial with the slot, thereby forcing the disk to hop off the tip and slide sufiiciently for permitting the shank point to socket in an indentation 4.

The probabilities of such an interpivoting of the two main members of my toy are increased when I provide a larger number of indentations, as shown for example in Fig. 8, and these indentations are preferably relatively close to the longer sides of the slot; although they may extend within a wider radius from the center of the slot, as for example anywhere within the dotted circle 10 in Fig. 8. Moreover, these indentations are not necessarily conical, since I have found that the shank tip is apt to catch on even slight defigurations of the disk bottomas for example, at the intersection of relatively shallow scratches. Indeed, perforations 11 (as shown in Fig. 9) will suffice, although increasing the friction. Or, if the disk bottom is provided with one or more zigzag grooves 12, which two are shown in Fig. 10, the shank point will catch either at the extreme ends of such a groove or at the juncture of two diverging groove portions.

So also, the shape of the disk member, and

particularly of its peripheral portion may be varied, although this portion is preferably of a circular contour. For example,Fig. 6 shows this member as an inverted pan having a flaring side wall 13 depending from the periphery of the disk 1, thereby lowering the center of gravity of the disk member while it is spinning; while Fig. '7 shows a similar pan shape, but with the indentations on the opposite face of the disk 1 so that the pan will rotate in upright position.

However, with each of the heretofore described embodiments, the lateral shifting of the disk with respect to the point of the shank may vary considerably, so that the manipulation requires some skill; and, since the shank point is eccentric of the disk when the latter rotates or spins on it,

the length of time during which the disk rotates before it topples off that point is correspondingly reduced.

To overcome these objections, I desirably offset the slot in the disk (transversely of its longer sides) from the center C of the disk, thereby -'-permitting at least one of the indentations to be nearer to this center than in the previously described embodiments and also projecting the disk with a positive eccentricity in relation to the axis of the twisted shank of the rotation-imparting member. For example, when one longer slot wall 33 is diametric of the disk, as in Fig. 11, at least one indentation 4 (on the minor axis M of the slot) can have its center spaced from the center D of the disk by a distance less than the width of the slot, although auxiliary indentations 4A may be provided (at the same side of the slot with the said indentation 4) for socketing the disk upon the shank point if the eccentricity is greater because of some of the actions described in connection with Figs. 1 to5.

However, indentations 4A when located at a distance from the minor axis M of the slot are necessarily considerably farther from the center of the disk than an indentation 4 which is spaced by the same distance from the adjacent longer side of the slot and which is on the said minor axis, so that the resulting spinning time of the rotating disk is correspondingly shortened.

To overcome this, I preferably indent the disk,

bottom with a groove 13 extending in a direction approximately radial inward of the disk, which groove leads to and deepens toward a single indentation 4 on the minor axis of the slot, as shown in Fig. 12.

Proceeding still further in this line of development, Fig. 13 shows the slot center 30 as shifted (along the minor axis M of the slot) sufliciently so that the indentation 4 is at the center D of the disk, thereby permitting the disk to spin about its own axis and hence greatly prolonging the time of this spinning. Figs. 14 and 15 show the same slot and indentation arrangement as in Fig. 13, but with an added groove 13 leading radially inward of the disk to and deepening toward the said indentation; so that the shank point will catch in this groove if a somewhat excessive eccentricity has been imparted to the disk in manipulating the toy, after which gravity will cause the disk to slide on the shank point until the latter enters the indentation 4.

To make my spinning toy still more positive in action, I also deform the portion of the disk at the opposite side of the slot from the indentation, for more positively utilizing the cam effect recited in connection with Fig. 5. For this purpose, I may emboss the portion 1A at the said opposite side of the slot downwardly for adistance corresponding to a fraction of the length of the pointed tip of the twisted shank, this embossed portion having its lowermost point on the minor axis M of the slot, as shown in Figs. 16 and 1'7.

With this embossing also provided,'the longer slot wall 33 at the opposite side of the slot from the indentation 4 will be engaged with a cam action by an edge 6 of the shank tip, as shown in Fig. 17, as soon as the lower face of the disk rises above the point of that tip, thereby positively shifting the disk (toward the right in that figure) with respect to the said tip, so that this tip will be more certain to enter the said indentation.

Since this horizontal shifting of the disk by a cam action due to the engagement of a sloping shank tip edge 6 is effective because the portion of the disk adjacent'to the right-hand long wall 33 (at the opposite side of the. slot from the indentation 4) is bowed down to a lower elevation than the lower face of the disk 1, the same effect can also be obtained without embossing the diskportion 1A, by deepening the indentation as in Figs. 18 and 19, and: in that case theindentation may be intercepted by a portion of the slot. In doing so, I preferably also form the indentation with a fiat bottom 14A, desirably of larger diameter than the thickness of the strip from which the twisted shankwas formed and dispose the slot so that it intersects the downwardly flaring wall 14B intermediate of the height of that wall.

With the indentations thus formed, the enlarged mouth of the indentation insures a catching of the shank tip in this indentation with considerable variation in the eccentricity of the disk with respect to the said tip, thereby allowing for corresponding variations in the momentum which the user of the toy has imparted to the disk.-

into pivoting relation to the shank tip without having been raised entirely oif the said tip. And when this tip has engaged the indentation bottom 14A (as shown in Figs. 19 and 20) the said indentation wall portion 140 acts as a guard ledge to prevent the shank tip from sliding back into the slot. Consequently, with the preferred disk center construction of Figs. 18 to 20, the pivotal socketing of the shank tip is so positive,

that anyone (after a little practice in determinof the shank. However, I do not wish to be limited in this respect, or to the cross-section of the screw-shank or the shaping of the disk member, since many changes might be made without departing either from the spirit of my invention or from the appended claims. And, since the rotatable member is substantially a disk in some of the here disclosed embodiments, I am using the term disk for this member in the appended claims regardless of whether this is generally fiat or of a pan shape or other shape.

I claim as my invention:

l. A toy of the class in which an approximately erect screw-shank is threaded through a slot in an approximately horizontal disk, so that the disk rotates about an upright axis extending through the center of the slot when the disk is moved upwardly along the said shank; characterized by having the disk provided on its lower face with of the shank is adapted to pivot after the disk has been raised ofi the shank, so that the disk will rotate thereafter about an-axis spaced from the axis of the slot.

2. A toy as per claim 1, in which the slot in the disk has its longer axis olTset from the center of the disk by a distance not exceeding approximately twice the width of l the slot.

3. A toy as per claim 1, in which the indentation is on the minor axis of the slot.

4. A toy as per claim 1, in which the center of the said indentation is spaced from the center of :the slot by a distance not materially greater than half the length of the slot.

5. A toy-as per claim 1, in which the screwshank has a tapering upper end presenting its apex on the longitudinal axis of the screw shank, the depth of the indentation being a'minor fraction of the length of the said tapering upper end of the shank.

6. A toy as per claim 1, in which the portion of the disk between the indentation and the adjacent longer Wall of the slot is at higher elevation than the portion of the disk contiguous to the other longer wall of the slot; and in which the screw-shank has a tapering upper end por tion adapted to engage the last named longer slot wall when the disk has been raised to such an extent that the tip of the said shank .end portion is at lower elevation than the first named longer slot wall.

7. A toy comprising a normally horizontal disk provided with a slot of rectangular cross-section; the center of the slot being offset, transversely of the longer edges of he slot, from the center of the disk by a distance greater than width of the slot; and the disk being provided on its lower face and with an indentation approximately central of the disk; and a normally upright twisted metal strip threaded through the said slot and having at its upper end a pointed tip adapted to enter the said indentation when the disk has been sufficiently moved upwardly off the said screwshank.

8. A toy as per claim 7, in which indentation bottom is of a diameter larger than any dimension of the extreme upper end of the said tip.

9. A toy as per claim 7, in which the bottom of the indentation is of a diameter larger than any dimension of the extreme upper end of the said tip,

10. A toy as per claim 7, in which the indentation is adjacent to one of the longer walls of the slot; and in which a portion of the disk contiguous to the other of the longer walls of the slot projects downwardly beyond the elevation of the mouth of th said indentation by a distance less than length of the pointed tip of the screw-shank, so that engagement of the said pointed tip with the said downwardly projecting portion while the disk is moving oil the pointed tip willmove the said shank tip toward the indentation.

11. A toy as per claim '7, in which the indentation is adjacent to one of the longer walls of the slot; and in which a portion of the disk contiguous to the other longer wall of the slot projects downwardly beyond the elevation of the mouth or" the said indentation by a distance less than length of the pointed tip of the screw-shank, so that engagement of the said pointed tip with the said downwardly projecting portion while the disk is moving off the pointed tip will move the said tip toward the indentation; the center of the indentation and the lowermost part of the said downwardly projecting portion being diametrically opposite each other in a vertical plane through the center of the slot.

12. A disk-spinning toy comprising a normally upright spiral shank having a pointed shank end, and a generally horizontal disk having its central portion provided with a slotthrough which the shank is threaded; the portion of the diskextending along one of the longer walls of the slot being provided with a downwardly open indentation in which the tip of the said-shank end is adapted to enter; the portion of the peripheral wall of the indentation nearest to the slot having its lower edge spaced upwardly from the top of the other of the longer walls of the slot, by a distance less than the length of the said pointed shank end.

13. A toy as per claim 12, in which the peripheral wall of the indentation is intercepted intermediate of its height by the longer slot wall adjacent to the indentation.

14. A toy comprising a normally horizontal disk provided with a slot adjacent to its center, and an upright screw-shank threaded through the said slot so that the disk will be rotated by an upward movement of the disk with respect to the screw-shank; the screw-shank having an upwardly tapering upper end portion, upon the tip of which tapering portion the disk is adapted to rotate after the disk has been rotated upwardly ofi the screw-shank; the disk having its lower face provided adjacent to the middle of one longer wall of the slot with an indentation adapted to be entered by the tip of the said shank end portion; the disk portion at the opposite side of the slot from the indentation being at a lower elevation than the mouth end of the indentation and disposed so that the tapering shank end portion will engage the said deformed disk portion with a cam action, when the disk reaches the elevation of the tapering shank portion, thereby moving the disk horizontally with respect to the axis of the shank in a direction which will cause the axis of indentation to aline with the axis of the screw-shank.

HENRY W. GRAVES. 

